Holy Cross to hold fall classes on campus until Thanksgiving

Photo | Grant Welker College of the Holy Cross in Worcester

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College of the Holy Cross will hold classes on campus this fall but will finish the semester remotely after Thanksgiving, President Philip Boroughs announced Friday.

The Worcester college plans to release more information, including about on-campus housing, in early July.

Boroughs said Holy Cross will adopt a hybrid plan of in-person and online courses, starting the semester Sept. 1 on campus but eliminating the traditional fall break and sending students home for the semester before Thanksgiving. The rest of the semester is planned to be finished online.

Some classes will be held online for all students, even for those living on campus, Boroughs said. Others will have both an in-person and online component.

Classes held on campus won't look quite the same because of spacing considerations. Holy Cross will need to use larger spaces, with classes held across the entire day, with some meeting later in the afternoon or evening, to avoid congestion on campus and allow for proper cleaning of spaces between classes. A plan for athletics has not yet been determined.

The plan is subject to change, Boroughs said.

"We cannot fully know in July what course the virus will take in August or September, which could impact our Holy Cross community or the state of Massachusetts," he said. "And we must be prepared for a possible resurgence which could require a broad rapid response."

Colleges have been grappling with how to hold the fall semester in consideration of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced schools to abruptly move classes online in March to help slow the spread of the virus. Most have not yet announced their plans for the fall. Clark University in Worcester has said it will also hold classes on campus until Thanksgiving before finishing the semester online.